Word of Salvation – Vol. 34 No. 06 – Feb 1989

 

Sarah’s Laughter

 

Sermon by Rev. H. O. Berends on Genesis 18:13-15

Readings: Genesis 18:1-15, 21:1-7

 

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Where in this world would we be without laughter?

Laughter brings so much joy into the world, doesn’t it?  The happy laughter of children.  The giggles of a girl in love, when she talks with her boyfriend.  The hearty laughter amongst friends over a good joke or a funny story.  Laughter is one of the great joys of life.  Laughter shows that we are happy.  And human… for animals can’t laugh, only humans can do that.  And we do, and let’s be glad about it, for what would this world be like if we couldn’t laugh?

Yes, laughter is one of the good things of life – an expression of happiness, of joy.  But if course it’s not only joy that can cause laughter.  Laughter can be the result of other emotions also.  Sometimes that can be the result of someone’s upbringing – the society one lives in.  I remember Indonesia; for example that one day we came upon the scene of a terrible traffic accident – a bus had overturned at high speed and was lying upside down right in the middle of the road.  It had only just happened.  Pools of blood were lying all around and bodies and wounded passengers were still crawling out of the broken windows.  But already a large crowd of people had gathered and there they were standing, watching – and many of them were laughing.  And so were some of the people who were crawling out of the windows.  At first I was quite shocked, but then I remembered that for the Javanese, laughter can denote the opposite of fun – it can be an expression of horror.  That was not laughter of happiness.  They didn’t think it was very funny.  It was laughter expressing fear and sorrow and shock.

Yes, laughter can express joy, but it can also express fear, or sadness or uneasiness or even sorrow.  Or it can, express cynicism and scorn, and unbelief, brothers and sisters.  Cynicism and unbelief, and perhaps even bitterness – as in this morning’s reading.

Saran laughed.  Why did Sarah laugh?  What caused her laughter of unbelief?  Well, we have read the story.

One day three men came down the dusty road and stopped at the encampment – at the tents of Abram.  It was “in the heat of the day”, the Bible says – in other words, somewhere between noon and two o’clock – right at the time of the midday rest – the siesta.

You can sort of picture the scene: Abram sitting there in the entrance of his tent, leaning back in his chair, snoozing.  A great quiet hangs over the camp, interrupted only by the occasional bleat of a sheep and the flies lazily buzzing.

But suddenly, there are these three men.  Abram hears them talking and he jumps up and hurries out to greet them.  Although we are not told, it seems clear that at first Abram has no idea that these are not ordinary human beings.  In the book of Hebrews we read: “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing people have entertained angels without knowing it”.  This is, in all probability, a direct reference to this occasion.

Abram does not realise, at least not straightaway, that here he is face to face with the Lord himself, together with his angelic companions.  But with his natural Middle Eastern hospitality he immediately makes them welcome.  He invites them in and assures them it is honour for him to refresh and entertain them.

The camp comes to life, a calf is slaughtered and bread prepared and after some time a meal is set before them.  And they eat – so far very much as was to be expected.  But then one of them who seems to be the leader, says to Abram, “Where is your wife, Sarah?”  And then it probably begins to dawn on Abram that here he is facing no ordinary persons.  For how come they know his wife’s name?

When Abram answers, “There, in the tent”, and he receives the Lord’s promise… “I will surely return to you about this time next year and Sarah your wife will have a son”, it seems that Abram believes him.  Abram believes – he realises by now that this is God to whom he is speaking.

This is the Lord in human form standing there before him.  And Sarah must have realized too, but she does not believe: “Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent which was behind him.  Abram and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of child bearing”, our story continues.  Sarah was past menopause – humanly speaking she could no longer have children.  And so she thinks to herself, “Will I really have a child, now that I am old?”  Sarah thinks: “You must be kidding.  That’s not possible Lord – don’t get my hopes up again, I’ve hoped for so long, I have been disappointed so often”.  So Sarah laughed…!

Yes, that’s why Sarah laughed.  It is a laugh of unbelief, of bitterness, of scorn; for Sarah chooses not to believe God’s promise.

Are there not many, many people like Sarah, brothers and sisters?  People who laugh at the promises of God – with scornful laughter?  And then I’m thinking not only of non-Christians.  Non-Christians do, of course; that is to be expected.  They do not believe any of the promises of God.  It is only natural that they regard all the Bible teaches as nonsense.  They would not believe this story, eg. how could that possibly be: God in the shape of a human?  But even we, even believers, do we really believe God’s promises as we find them in the Bible?  Do we really believe he can do what he says?  That he can really work in our lives and in the lives of others?  That he can do that which is difficult, yes which is humanly speaking impossible?  Or do we too, do we like Sarah, laugh?

Do we too, like Sarah, laugh at the promises of God?  Let’s face it, so many Christians do, brothers and sisters.  Some Christians laugh at God’s promise to give them power to overcome sin and temptation.  Perhaps they have problems with a particular situation – a particular sin – oh no, they are not happy – they don’t want to do it.  They realise that they are not living up to God’s will for their lives in this particular area but they don’t know how to get out of it either.  It’s been going on so long now – and though at first they struggled, slowly they have given up, they have got used to living with defeat in this particular situation.  And when they hear the word of God proclaimed, or they read it for themselves, when they hear the promise of God that “I will never leave you or forsake you”, and that “No temptation is irresistible.  You can trust God to keep the temptation for becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do as he says.  He will show you how to escape temptation’s power so that you can bear up patiently against it”, as 1Corinthians 10:13 in the translation of the Living Bible so clearly puts it – and they shrug their shoulders and laugh sadly to themselves and whisper: “I wish I could believe that.  But for me it simply doesn’t work; it is too hard.”

Some Christians laugh at God’s promise to provide them with his gifts and talents, so that they too can take some active part in the work of the church – of their congregation.   Oh yes, they realise that they are not supposed to sit back and do nothing.  They realise that they too are supposed to be active members of Christ’s body.  And that each member has received a gift to be used for common service.  But yet somehow they do not, for all practical purposes, believe it.  They seem to think that somehow, in their case at any rate, God has made an exception.  And so they laugh quietly to themselves in unbelieving laughter and they think, “That is all very well for others.  But as for me, well, I am really pretty useless; for me it is too hard”.

Many other Christians laugh at God’s promise to give them the ability to witness.  Oh yes, of course they believe in the Great Commission.  They know that Jesus said to his disciples: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me, therefore go and make disciples of all nations”.  And they are glad to hear about the work of missionaries and they rejoice when they hear how many are coming to Christ in places like Africa and Korea.  And yet, when it comes to their own situation, then somehow things are different.  Then they do not believe in the application of God’s promise.  Then they say, “Oh yes, but the hearts of people here are so hard and they’ve heard it all so often before and – let’s face it – they are just not responsive to the gospel!”  But the real truth is: they not even trying.  They never talk about Christ with their non-Christian friends, with their workmates or their neighbours.

They never share the good news of the gospel.  Although they claim to believe that it is the Holy Spirit who opens men’s hearts and that he can do it here just as well as in any heathen country – yet they laugh to themselves in a sad sort of way and they shrug their shoulders and for all practical purposes consider it too hard.

Yes, too hard!

That was Sarah’s reaction.  Is that not all too often also our reaction, brothers and sisters?  Oh, perhaps it is not in any of the particular areas I just mentioned that our particular problem lies, but there are others.  And most of us – yes, all of us – have within ourselves all too often that same kind of response as did Sarah.  We have that same sort of problem believing; believing that God’s power is sufficient, that his promises are true, really true, also in our practical situation.  And so we laugh.

Yes, Sarah laughed.  But now look what happens, brothers and sisters.  Does the Lord now say: “Ok then, forget it?  I was willing, but if you are not – well I have done my part, take it or leave it?”  Is that what the Lord says?  That’s what might have been expected.  That’s how we often react, don’t we?  If we offer someone what we think is a favour, and it is rejected then we are so quickly offended.

That is a natural reaction.

But God is not offended.  Oh, he doesn’t ignore Sarah’s laughter.  He points it out.  He says: “Yes, you did laugh!”  Again, we do that, don’t we?  We like to make all sorts of excuses for our unbelief, but God doesn’t.  No, he points the finger straight at Sarah.  He looks right through the tent cover.  “Yes, you did laugh!”  But he also says, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?  I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son.”

Yes, you will have a son?  Isn’t that wonderful, brothers and sisters?  That the Lord isn’t put off by our unbelief; that he doesn’t act according to our limitations?  We sometimes try to make God so small, so powerless, don’t we?  But he is still the great and mighty God who does according to his will, not our expectations.  He is still the God whose ways are greater than our ways, whose thoughts are higher than our thoughts – and better!  And when we don’t believe him, well, ultimately that makes no difference.  He still carries out his plans, he still continues on with his actions and nothing can change them!  And so Sarah can laugh all she likes, but that doesn’t stop the birth of Isaac.  And later on the world can laugh all it likes, but that doesn’t stop the coming of Jesus.  And Jesus walked this earth, just like God did walk this earth in the days of Abram.  Jesus, who himself is God, became man not for a few days, but for a lifetime.  And while the world turns away in unbelief and laughter, God sends his Own Son and he calls his name: Immanuel ― God with us.  Jesus, the Son of God, born of a woman, just like Isaac.  Yes, born, in a sense, even of Sarah, for Jesus too was one of Abram’s descendants.

For that, of course was why Isaac had to be born.  He too was part of God’s plan, one link in God’s chain for the coming of the Messiah, the Son of God.

Yes, Isaac is born.  The promise is kept, despite Sarah’s unbelief and laughter.  And Jesus is born and lives and dies amongst us.  And you can imagine, on that first Good Friday, the disciples laughing sadly to themselves, with the same kind of laughter as Sarah’s.  Oh it was so beautiful.  We had such high hopes – while it lasted.  But now he is dying.  And the Roman soldiers, laughing at his agony as they gamble away his clothing under the cross.  And the cynical unbelieving Jews, laughing in victory “We did it – soon he will be dead and gone”.  And behind it all the hellish laughter of Satan who thinks he has finally triumphed.

But then comes Easter Sunday and the devil’s laughter is stilled as Jesus rises from the dead.  He who sits in the heavens laughs; God laughs at his enemies and holds them in derision.  And who laughs last, laughs best.

Yes, he who laughs last laughs best – and he who laughs last is God!

Not Sarah, nor unbelieving man, not Satan.  Do know you that?  Sarah came to know that, brothers and sisters.  Of that too we read in the second part of our reading.  For there in chapter 21 we read that in less than a year’s time there is a baby, a son, born to Sarah and Abram; to Sarah who was beyond the age at which women, humanly speaking, can have children.  And when the baby is born, Abram gives him the name Isaac.  “Isaac”, that means: “one will laugh” or “laughter”.  For now it was God’s turn to laugh.  And Sarah laughed also.  But now it was no longer with cynical, with unbelieving laughter.  No, now it was with the laughter of joy and happiness, and of wonder at the greatness and the faithfulness of God who, despite her unbelief, had kept his promise.  And “Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.’”

Yes, laughter!  God has brought me laughter, said Sarah.  Can we say that too?  That requires faith, brothers and sisters.  Faith that the same God who worked so long ago in the womb of Sarah… that the same God who fulfilled his promise in his own Son, Jesus, some 20 centuries later… that this same God can and will and does work in our days and in our own lives also.  That he can and does do that which is humanly impossible.  And, yes, that he gives us the power to do so too.

Do you believe that?

The other day I came across a little quote in an old ‘Trowel and Sword’ magazine.  It said:

“‘You can’t change human nature.’  We excuse ourselves and sometimes other people with a kind of fatalistic resignation.  Or perhaps at times we use the statement as a straight expression of cynicism.  But the gospel is good news because it demonstrates that human nature can be changed – not by rules or regulations, not by human effort, but by an inner change of direction through the work of Christ.”

Yes, the gospel is good news because it demonstrates that human nature can be changed.  Yes, our unbelieving human nature also.  So let us also apply this to our own lives, brothers and sisters, in whatever area it is needed.

And so may there, also in our lives, be laughter.  Not the cynical laughter of unbelief, but the laughter of happiness, joy and amazement.  Of happiness, joy and amazement at the mighty power and the wonderful works of God.

AMEN.